LANSING — Fifteen months after auditors said failures at a state-run home health care program put both patients and taxpayer dollars at risk, lawmakers slammed state officials for still lacking many answers in what one legislator called offensive testimony.

Michigan Department of Health & Human Services officials told a state House committee on Tuesday they'd reformed the department's Home Help Program for Medicaid patients to address the more than a dozen problems identified in a summer 2014 Michigan Auditor General report. The department implemented new background check policies after auditors found thousands of convicts were being paid to care for patients, for example, and more thorough and frequent reviews were established after auditors estimated $146 million was improperly paid to home help providers.

But the legislators grew increasingly frustrated throughout the meeting when the department officials were unable to confirm the exact amount that was misspent or whether any of that money had been recouped, whether the misspending had been completely stopped, or how much was being spent on background checks and new training for DHHS staff and providers.

"I would be hanging my head in shame if this came out of my department," state Rep. Pam Faris, D-Clio, told the DHHS officials. "I'm also very offended that you sent up two people who don't know what the hell they're talking about ... I expect more from you."

"It sounds like we're going to have to hire some more auditors to come in and audit and we're not actually helping the people that need to be helped," state Rep. Edward Canfield, R-Sebewaing, said. "That is a sad state to be in."

Farah Hanley, DHHS' deputy director of financial operations told the lawmakers the department would provide answers in follow-up meetings with the lawmakers.

"We came in thinking this was going to be a high-level discussion," Hanley said. "This department is committed to transparency."

The panel asked the officials to schedule follow-up meetings with individual lawmakers within two weeks.

The DHHS officials told the lawmakers they'd made progress reviewing cases for problems, but it was time-consuming to sort through 60,000 caregivers, most of whom are family members and friends of the 70,000-some patients. While Hanley said she was certain auditors would note progress if there were a new review today, she told the lawmakers she "can't say with confidence that we've addressed every single provider up to today."